One skier rescued, two still trapped after backcountry avalanche

By Melanie Porter

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    SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah (KSTU) — Multiple departments are responding to an avalanche Thursday after three male skiers were initially reported missing.

Hours after the avalanche happened, officials said one man had been rescued and taken to the hospital.

The avalanche happened at Lone Peak Summit, a popular area for recreators in the area of Little Cottonwood Canyon, officials told FOX 13 News.

Efforts to locate the remaining two other men continue, but due to challenging conditions, rescuers haven’t been able to go up to the area.

Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera detailed that the skier who was rescued was able to dig himself out and made the call to 911 about the avalanche.

Video captured by FOX 13 News shows a helicopter bringing the rescued skier to safety, where he was treated by a medical team.

The skier was rescued in fair condition and told officials that the trio drove their car to the area, then hiked up and started to ski.

Craig Gordon with the Utah Avalanche Center explained that the area is extremely challenging and called the avalanche “unusual” for this time of year.

“This is very serious terrain, it’s steep, it’s North-facing,” he explained. “The crew that was up there would have to be experienced. This isn’t the type of zone you’d just stumble on.”

Gordon detailed that the group had all the right gear but things went wrong, resulting in an avalanche several feet deep and a couple hundred feet wide.

Rivera said that teams are hoping to get up the mountainside on Thursday but may have to wait until Friday when conditions are deemed safe.

Unified Fire Authority, backcountry search and rescue crews, Sandy officials and Draper Fire crews are all assisting in the response.

The avalanche comes on the heels of a late-season storm that brought several feet of dense, heavy snow to Utah’s mountains.

“The past three days, Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon have seen over 30 inches of snow with over three inches of water,” Gordon said.

He explained that the storm was a “game-changer” and “definitely elevated” backcountry avalanche danger.

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